Importance of Habits

Serena Cuoghi
Title of Professor of Biology

Modern life is full of new situations to face at every moment and whose confrontation requires us to keep constantly learning, adaptation and development of the necessary strategies to make the most of both time and opportunities, and that in turn All this excess of mental, physical and emotional activity has a negative impact in the least possible way on our quality of life, especially In the health. In order to achieve all this, implement previously structured routines according to the specific conditions of each who becomes an essential act towards the adoption of healthy habits that: 1) allow establishing priorities; 2) provide clarity about the various needs we have in our lives; 3) optimize time and resources for the best results; 4) guide us towards the healthiest relationship with ourselves, other people and the experiences we have lived.

Optimize time and resources

The wear and tear caused by a chaotic and changing daily life, through the stress represented by staying in a permanent state of decision-making, has become one of the main sources of disturbance of the psychic and physical states, preventing us on many occasions from performing in the various activities as we would like, guiding us silently even towards the development of a very wide variety of diseases, so learning to organize work based on the availability of time and resources, represents assuming a series of new essential habits that will help to increase that physical and mental performance, but also to maintain clarity and control over the elements that influence our performance.

Regarding these functions, the adoption of strategies such as the management of a personal agenda and the establishment of own algorithms for the development of more routine activities, are part of the basic tools that offer us a clear outline of what we must do and what we have to achieve it, for through a fully personal construction, so there is no single recipe and this is precisely what makes them become healthy habits for anyone who wishes to assume them, since they can be developed according to what each one needs, so they also quickly become strategies pleasant.

Writing brings great benefits over the mental load that our own thoughts usually generate, as a consequence of the excess of stimuli to which we find ourselves exposed in the present. Always keeping a notebook or a notebook within our reach, to empty the ideas there as soon as they appear, is a powerful tool that drastically reduces levels of mental stress, product of the pressure of having to remember the things that may be of greatest importance to us, such as the ideas about something we want to do, the various solutions to some problem not yet solved and even the most trivial or deepest creative proposals reflections; Absolutely everything can be written and that can guide us towards new great opportunities to explore within ourselves the potential that we still keep, through countless personal resources with which to improve our lives in all its aspects.

constancy for health

Being able to then maintain an optimal state of health, it is a daily task to achieve and maintain the balance between the functions of the mind and the body, continuity which is achieved through habits, which also include sports and recreational physical activities, meditation and eating healthy.

Being constant in the practice of the habits that one wishes to adopt in favor of health, is what will allow us to achieve the cumulative effect of the obtainable benefits that they can bring us, but it will also be what makes it possible for them to continue to be maintained over time, sustaining our state of health in each of the stages of life in a much easier and more practical way. life.

discipline for success

Having healthy habits about our own daily performance also allows us to achieve the objectives that we can set ourselves. In this sense, assuming with discipline the development of a clear step by step in our behavior, through organizational habits, is what successful people always describe as their Elemental formula to achieve success in whatever you want, making this currently the main incentive towards the adoption of healthy habits for most of the people.

Habits are what force us to always act in the same way at more or less similar times or in similar ways. For example, a very common habit of our lifestyle is to have breakfast before going to work or school, a habit that everyone recommends to start the day correctly.

Developing customs is central to human growth

Unlike what happens with the animals, who in the same way have a certain level of routine in their lives, although not consciously, humans are routine beings for whom the development of habits and customs is essential. Thus, from childhood we are taught to comply with certain habits that can be grouped into different categories.

For example, there are eating habits that have to do with eating at certain times, eating in a certain way or in the cleaning teeth after each meal. On the other hand, there are the time habits that make us behave every day with a certain organization and that allow us to organize our day-to-day activities. These are especially important for children because if they do not develop from a young age (for example, being punctual) they can later become a problem. Also, there are the cleaning habits that accustom us to carry out certain practices to stay healthy and healthy in certain situations (for example, washing hands before eat).

Habits and their cultural dimension

As we pointed out, habits are customs that all humans develop to a greater or lesser extent. What makes us different is the type of traditions that each community implements. Thus, eating habits, behavior, greetings, respect, and work habits in Western countries are not the same as in countries oriental, nor are the habits that are developed in First or Third World countries the same with respect to an endless number of Actions.

This proves to us that the activities we do, the way, the routine and the frequency with which we do them also depend on the culture of which we are part.

References

Limia Legrá, M. (2010). Change of mentality: Health responsibility. Nursing Index, 19(1), 42-46.

Miravet, M. E., Arnal, R. B., Calvo, J. C., Carrasco, V. C., & Bover, M. b. (2020). Eating habits, body image and emotional well-being: mens sana in corpore sano. INFAD Magazine of Psychology. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology., 1(1), 361-370.

Ramos Monteagudo, A. M., Yordi Garcia, M., & Miranda Ramos, M. d. L. Á. (2016). Active ageing: importance of its promotion for aging societies. Camagüey Medical Archive Magazine, 20(3), 330-337.

Rodríguez, A., Goñi, A., & Ruiz de Azúa, S. (2006). Physical self-concept and lifestyles in adolescence. Psychosocial Intervention, 15(1), 81-94.

Images: iStock. Kimberrywood – Luka Azman